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2nd February 2015 | BrightonBrighton celebrates 'Passion'

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At this event you will hear stories from 4 speakers who stepped out of their day job to explore another creative passion which resulted in great, rewarding and sometimes unexpected success. From bird watching, food blogging, film making and testing the limits of a photobooth, these are stories to inspire you to follow your own dreams.

We are also really excited to be screening ‘The Man Whose Mind Exploded’, a documentary film about Drako Oho Zarrhazar who lived in Brighton. Drako had connections to Derek Jarman, Salvador Dali and even dealt drugs to the Stones. It’s a story about mental illness, memory, art, cocks, faith and love. The director Toby Amies will be introducing the film and will be available for a Q&A afterwards.

Very much looking forward to seeing you all there,

Crush Creative & Agency Rush

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Where, When & How Much?

(For any newcomers you will need to ‘RSVP’ and pay for your ticket online to ensure your place. For those who have brought tickets your name will be not the guest list on the door, you do not need to bring a ticket or printout).

It will be cash only on the night so be sure to bring real money.

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Speakers on the night

Matt Sewell

An avid ornithologist, Matt Sewell has been described as the Banksy of the bird world. Author of the best selling books ‘Our Garden Birds’ and ‘Our Songbirds’ Matt has also illustrated for The Guardian, Levis, Barbour and has even painted his feathery friends on murals for Helly Hansen and Puma as well as underpasses for the RSPB. His illustrations have also migrated over seas and have been exhibited in New York, Tokyo and Paris. Matt has channelled all of his passion for birds into his work and collates his wonderful drawings alongside his twitcher notes for cult website ‘Caught By the River’.

Fran Villiani

Fran Villiani is a Brighton-based graphic designer and self confessed ‘print sniffer’ but it’s her love for food and family mixed with a deep Italian heritage that inspired her to create ‘The Graphic Foodie’ back in 2008. Fran’s blog is a fusion of food-related designs, a repository of her own family recipes, book recommendations and reports on the finest restaurants and food events to grace our fair city – a must-read for Brightonians and visitors alike!

Adam Kemény

No stranger to Glug Brighton Adam Kemény’s Photobot never fails to entertain and provides plenty of giggles too. It seems hard to believe that this sophisticated photo booth all started with a simple idea that Adam came up with for a friend’s birthday only four years ago. The guests loved it and after numerous hire requests and successful events Adam gave up his design career to begin his new business venture. Outside of Brighton Adam’s niche photo booth has travelled to Barcelona, Milan, Monaco, Berlin, Athens and Venice and has seen him collaborating with the likes of Diesel, Virgin Media, Rankin and the Williams F1 Team … and it all started because of “a fun thing he made for a party”!

Toby Aimes

Photographer, broadcaster and film maker Toby Amies has always had a sensitive approach to portraiture. During the making of his most recent award-winning documentary ‘The Man Whose Mind Exploded’ Toby spent roughly four years befriending and filming Drako Oho Zarhazar, a local Brighton resident in his seventies for whom the word “eccentric” barely does justice. Following a severe head injury, Drako suffers from terrible memory loss – he can access memories from before his accident, but can’t remember what happened yesterday.The film explores Drako’s lurid and exotic backstory including work with Dali, Warhol’s Factory, Les Folies Bergère, and Derek Jarman. What’s come from Toby’s passion for deeply intimate documentary film making is a complicated friendship which has allowed for a unique, funny and moving piece of work and we can’t wait to hear more from the man himself!

FILM SCREENING – ‘THE MAN WHOSE MIND EXPLODED’

Exploring the wonderful past, and extraordinary present, of Drako Oho Zahar Zahar, The Man Whose Mind Exploded is Toby Amies’ deeply personal account of his relationship with a man who once posed for Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, but can no longer make new memories.

Toby Amies starts off making a film exploring Drako’s lurid and exotic backstory but frighteningly soon a line is crossed, and the documentary maker becomes carer. Drako’s way of life and the extraordinary collage of notes to self and erotic art he lives in [the source of the film’s title] threatens his health.

This “beautifully intimate and utterly unique piece of cinema” gained 4 star reviews from The Times, The Guardian and The Independent in the UK. Filmed over four years, The Man Whose Mind Exploded attempts to understand and accept the worldview of someone with serious brain damage, and it resonates for anyone who’s tried to care for someone who may not be great at caring for themselves.

Trailer

This screening will be followed by a Q&A from the filmmaker Toby Amies.

Tickets

(For any newcomers you will need to ‘RSVP’ and pay for your ticket online to ensure your place. For those who have brought tickets your name will be not the guest list on the door, you do not need to bring a ticket or printout).